Monday, 15 October 2007

My fourth autumn visit to the island of Sanday to look for migrants and to get away from the human race. As usual it was often very windy, very wet and very frustrating. The gardens were devoid of migrants and after ten days i hadn't seen a single warbler. Things picked up slightly once the wind turned north-east but high pressure calmed everything down and i ended up with calm, sunny days and moonlit nights - not the best migrant finding conditions. But that said, it is a stunning place and one of the few places that isn't being ruined.Click on photos for a bigger image.

The combination of heavy rain and a northerly gale produces this bizarre sight. The temporary waterfalls fall about 5ft before being blown back up the cliff. There were about 12 in a row, viewed from the ferry as i crossed a very rough Pentland Firth towards the Orkney's.

The first nine days were often wet with sunny periods. Winds were usually strong west, sw or s. Then i had a 36hr northerly gale reaching force 10 before eventually the wind went ne - east. Unfortuantely high pressure then settled in and it became warm and sunny, useless for migration.

Following a 36hr Northerly gale, Scuthvie Bay became a hive of activity. Alot of new food had obviously been washed ashore and the many 100's of Starlings, Waders and Gulls took full advantage of it. It was often a mind boggling sight.